Birthday Drinks, Meetup Drama, T Shirt Win

I mentioned on Friday that one of my Meetup attendees came out to Joshua Brooks then sacked us off to White Hotel, some competitor house music club. I’ve met up with him again last night, along with many other Meetup folk. I wanted to do some birthday drinks, and Meetup people are literally the ONLY people available to come out. So I put up an event with Manchester Nightlife (which, by the way, has now passed 1000 members. Only taken 2 years). 

8 people RSVPd. Most of them showed up in meeting spot Flok, including White Castle Guy. (Turns out he’d left JB’s last week because he’d had a run-in with a member of staff.) Some other people I knew from previous events attended, and some new folk. From Flok we moved to Lost in Tokyo, Japanese themed cocktail bar, then to Soup. For some reason I was absurdly overdressed for a warm summer’s night in hipstery Northern Quarter, wearing the blue 3-piece suit I got for a recent wedding. Soup’s doormen said they had a ‘no suit policy,’ that it wasn’t that vibe, but when they found out it was my birthday they made an exception. Fair play. 

People dropped off as the night went on, until it was just myself, White Castle Guy and a Chinese Guy who’s English was so rudimentary he was getting by with Google Translate on his phone. It was before midnight when the 3 of us were stood on the street and White Castle Guy started ranting about COVID conspiracies, vaccines and Fauci (who doesn’t even have any authority in this country). 

One thing you should know about me. I worked in social care during the pandemic as an essential worker. Loads of my clients died. I have clinically vulnerable relatives who were fortunate to make it through those years. I have no patience for anti-vaxx bullshit. 

Furthermore, at the end of the night, I had no energy to argue. I just went home. This morning I blocked White Castle Guy. Hmm. Of course he’s got a bible verse on his Insta. 

In slightly more positive news, I won the monthly photo competition from Last Exit to Nowhere again, and won 3 t shirts again! That photo was taken at the recent Comic Con Manchester.

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Getting High on Caraway at the Manchester Day Parade

What is caraway? It’s ‘the fruit of a flowering green shrub, one of the oldest cultivated spices in history.’ So says Dan Nestor in his book Get High Now Without Drugs. Julius Caesar was a fan, as were many other Romans and Greeks. Used for digestion and glowing skin and aiding indigestion, caraway can also be used as a mild sedative. 

I’ve tried a few supermarket herbs listed in GHNWD, and so far I’ve felt nothing. But I wanted to give Caraway a shot. Third time’s a charm and all that. I found a pot in a supermarket and waited for the right opportunity. 

The opportunity arose Sunday 26th July, with the return of the annual Manchester Day Parade, a celebration of Manchester’s diverse cultures and social groups. Visit Manchester says ‘This year's celebrations feature a special Catalan twist, celebrating Manchester's cultural links with Barcelona, alongside the National Year of Reading. Visitors can enjoy live music, dance, street theatre, pop-up performances and interactive activities throughout the day.’ 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the pictures, there was a heavy Spanish theme to the day’s proceedings, which started around 1pm in St Peter’s Square near the Central Library. Giant papier maché models of people and animals, dancers of several disciplines, a guy dressed as a fish staring into my very soul and several big fuck-off inflatable dragons contributed to the cavalcade of weirdness, which was made weirder when I started to casually chug down this Tesco pot of caraway seeds. 

I swallowed maybe a teaspoon’s worth at a time, over a couple of hours. I’d maybe swallowed half the 40g pot. By around 2pm I started to feel slightly dizzy, then a bit sick. But at least I felt something. 

I’ve still got half the pot, so perhaps I’ll try again at another fittingly bizarre event, maybe a Bongo’s Bingo night or some kind of celebrity meet.